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RSIFF Continues Support of Cinema Projects in Post-Production Phase

The Red Sea Film Festival Fund called on the filmmakers interested in receiving support for their cinema project to submit their applications. (Red Sea Film Festival Fund)
The Red Sea Film Festival Fund called on the filmmakers interested in receiving support for their cinema project to submit their applications. (Red Sea Film Festival Fund)
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RSIFF Continues Support of Cinema Projects in Post-Production Phase

The Red Sea Film Festival Fund called on the filmmakers interested in receiving support for their cinema project to submit their applications. (Red Sea Film Festival Fund)
The Red Sea Film Festival Fund called on the filmmakers interested in receiving support for their cinema project to submit their applications. (Red Sea Film Festival Fund)

The Red Sea Film Festival Fund announced this week that it has launched the first round of its fourth edition dedicated to supporting cinema projects in post-production phase.

The fund called on filmmakers willing to receive a post-production grant, and those interested in receiving support for their cinema projects in the completion, distribution and screening phases, to submit their applications and projects to maximize their winning chances.

The fund stated that it has started to accept the applications as of February 6, from Arab and African filmmakers, opening the door for features (at least 60 minutes), as well as documentaries and animation films.

The fund also urged filmmakers to stay tuned to the forthcoming rounds and all the related information on the terms, conditions and applications.

The Red Sea Fund has launched a campaign to support more than 100 projects, with grants of up to $500,000 for each project in all phases of production: development, production, or under development.

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In Freezing Temperatures, Swimmers in China Plunge into a River for Health and Joy

A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
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In Freezing Temperatures, Swimmers in China Plunge into a River for Health and Joy

A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)

Even as the mercury dropped below freezing, enthusiasm soared among about a dozen hardy swimmers during an annual ritual in northeast China’s ice city of Harbin.

The swimmers had trained daily throughout the year for this moment.

They first had to carve out a pool in the Songhua River, thawing the 10-centimeter (4-inch) thick ice that froze overnight. Then they stripped down and, one by one, plunged into the bone-chilling waters of the pool about 10 meters (33 feet) long.

Some said their limbs were already numb when the air temperature fell to minus 13 degrees Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Chen Xia, from the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, dived into the river even though she was suffering from a cold. She said the waters in her home city were warmer than those in Harbin, where the temperature was about 0 C (32 F).

The experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming, a sport she has been devoted to for about two decades.

“I felt prickling all over my body,” said Chen, 56. “But it still made me feel blissful."

Harbin resident Yu Xiaofeng said winter swimming in her city can be dated back to the 1970s, after locals saw Russian Orthodox faithful being baptized in the river. In 1983, the city's winter swimming association was established.

Yu, 61, said she found a sense of a big family and joy during her 30 years of swimming.

“Since the pandemic, we came up with a slogan: Rather suffer through winter swimming than line up at the hospital,” she said, adding that winter swimmers appeared to have better health than others.

You Decang, 76, said swimming kept him healthy and he had never caught a cold.

"If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable,” he said.